TECHNICAL MUSIC REVIEW
Prog rock/jazz/fusion shredders Thank You Scientist recently released this album that’s been on repeat for me lately. There’s a billion reasons why they they were our artist of the month recently. The boys released this album and I never even knew it was coming out! It was a ridiculously great surprise. This time around they got even weirder which is always a welcome addition to a band with such an expansive sound. They added more jazz elements and is a generally laid back (not all the time, trust me) album. “Terraformer” might be their most complete and mature album to date, I believe. Sure there’s some cool guitar and brass harmonies keeping prog nerds like me grinning from ear to ear. There’s no shortage of talent and creativity in this band and this record surely proves that.
Oh, there’s also string sections on this album as usual to boot. Don’t let the large amounts of extra instruments scare or discourage you if you’re not familiar with TYS. In fact, embrace their originality and unusual sound. They’re one of the coolest things going on in the prog world and get more creative with every growing album. The vocals are great as usual and I really dug the vocal harmonies on this album. I think Salvatore’s voice is by far one of their unique traits. It’s a bit higher than most male vocalists, which is already unique. The different notes he hits at times on the album sound painful, but he didn’t let me down as expected. He also has a great knack on the different whispering sections he includes on “Terraformer”.
Yeah, these talented gentlemen definitely don’t take themselves seriously. How can you NOT love Thank You Scientist?
This band is out to do something super unique and they’re doing that. This release expanded their creativity big time and as I sit here listening to it already for the 12th time I’m in total awe of that talent. The band’s dominant rhythm section is very prevalent as well, showcasing their diversity in the different sections throughout “Terraformer”. They have plenty of tempo changes that can be musically demanding, but a band that’s this polished doesn’t show any signs of struggling. They’re definitely not a band for everyone, which isn’t a bad thing. Their music is a deep, complex, unique and original adventure your average person is too shallow to understand. I’m very grateful for such a cool band to be around, and thoroughly respect their talent and admiration for the music they create.
I’m glad I stumbled across these guys years ago and this new release. I know they released a single in support of the album and didn’t see an actual release date then saw an article online that an album was out! Pick up one of the year’s best albums RIGHT NOW! Thank You Scientist absolutely rips it up on this release!
Originally published on Technical Music Review. Republished with permission.
